A massive fire broke out at several high-rise apartment buildings in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Wednesday, leaving dozens of people dead and hundreds more missing.

According to BBC, local officials say that at least 36 people died as a result of the blaze, while 279 people are still unaccounted for.

More than 750 firefighters were called to put out the blaze, which Hong Kong-based publication the Standard called “the city’s worst fire in nearly two decades.”

The fire’s cause is still unknown, although the Guardian reported local officials said that it “had started in some of the external bamboo and mesh scaffolding that encased the towers before spreading inside them.”

BBC noted that Hong Kong is one of the few major cities in the world to still use bamboo, which is highly combustable, when constructing modern buildings.

“Local media reports in March said the government’s development bureau had been trying to phase out the use of bamboo because of safety concerns,” BBC wrote. “The push towards using metal instead of bamboo came after a spate of scaffolding-related deaths in Hong Kong.”

The Standard also reported Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said that the government would open a criminal investigation after firefighters found that the materials on the buildings burned at a “highly unusual” speed that has raised suspicions of foul play.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said he was “extremely saddened” by the tragedy and he vowed a full investigation into the fire’s causes. For the time being, however, he said, “the top priority is to extinguish the fire, rescue trapped residents, treat the injured, and provide support for follow-up arrangements.”

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